It is so hard to believe that Baby Burcham is already one! This whole year just happened so fast – It feels like yesterday that I was pregnant. Being a mom this past year has been an amazing feeling: the love I feel for Burcham is a different kind of love than I have ever felt.

To ring in his first official year, we had a little party for him and celebrated with friends and family. At first I did not want to do a theme, and then it kind of morphed into a pirate theme… “A pirate turns one” concept ;-) Themes are always great for photo opportunities, but my favorite part of the day was just being with our families. So many generations all in one room! Burcham has 5 great-grandparents, which amazes me. We truly feel blessed.

It has been an incredible year and at the same time a life-altering year. I have changed in so many ways because of him. Honestly, the first thing I did was thank my parents. Being a parent is not only a full time job – it is a life changer! It has been hard being a mom who is constantly on the go and working around the clock…Multi-tasking should be my first name! Yet somehow it has also balanced me out.

I’m often asked by fans if I have any advice for new moms. Now that I’ve officially done the mommy thing for a whole year now, I feel like I could write a book!. Here are my top tips:

1. Don’t get worked up about things you can’t control.
2. With a baby, you have to take it one day at a time. Some days are fabulous and amazing, and others are…challenging to say the least. Don’t try to project ahead, or you’ll overwhelm yourself, which brings me to number 3:
3. Breathe.
4. It takes a village to raise a baby, and it also is important to have family around. I honestly don’t know what I would do without my mom, my mother-in-law, and extended family.
5. It’s all about teamwork…
6. Don’t read blogs or research every little thing. Instead, listen to your baby and use your gut feelings to figure out what to do.
7. Don’t worry about germs….Kids are kids and they are bound to get sick and be surrounded by germs.
8. Switchflops are a life saver…seriously. I think I must have channeled my future self when I invented them. Stilettos don’t work with babies. I live in my Kelli’s, Gwen’s, and Liz flats. Even if there’s spit-up on my top, I can always say that I put my best foot forward, each and every day! xoxo, LP.